1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement for a net cage used for breeding small animals such as little birds and squirrels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional net cage has, in general, the following construction.
Reference is made to, for example, a rectangular net cage as seen in a plan view in FIG. 5. A surrounding net portion 22 is provided with a door 21 for opening and closing a gateway, and is adapted to be folded in four (or divided into two parts, that is a right part and a left part, each of which can be folded). A ceiling net portion 23 is connected with an upper opening of the surrounding net portion 22 through a hinge 24 connected with the ceiling net portion 23 and engages an idle end side of the ceiling net portion 23 with an engaging member 25, also connected with the surrounding net portion 22. A box-shaped net cage body 26 is thereby constructed, opening on a lower side. An engaging hole 30 is formed in a rising plate portion 29 of a receiving box 28 that is provided with a drawer 27. An engaging portion 31 is formed by bending a part of the surrounding net portion 22 and is engaged with the engaging hole 30 of the receiving box 28 by bending the engaging portion 31 to provide a construction where the receiving box 28 can be removed and the net cage body 26 can be folded as desired.
However, not only are the construction for pivoting the ceiling net portions 23 on the edge portion on one side of the surrounding net portion 22, and the construction for engagedly connecting the idle end side of the ceiling net portion 23 and the receiving box 28 with the surrounding net portion 22 at an upper portion and a lower portion, respectively, of the surrounding net portion 22 are specialized and expensive, but the operation of pushing a plurality of the engaging portions 31 in turn with a finger so that the net cage body 26 is lifted up to remove the engaging portions 31 from the engaging holes 30 must be repeated in turn in order to remove the receiving box 28 from the net cage body 26. Additionally, the engaging portions 31, which have been removed, are frequently engaged with the engaging hole 30 again, using time and labor for removing the receiving box 28.
In addition, there has been the possibility that the final removal of the net cage body 26 from the receiving box 28 is apt to be accompanied by a shock, thereby surprising the small animals which are being bred, or spilling food and water from a food box and a water container provided on the net cage body 26. And the net cage body 26 is opened on the lower side thereof, so that the small animals escape unless the removal of the net cage body 26 is carefully conducted.
Besides, it is indispensable when the small animals are looked after that a sheet, such as newsprint, laid in the drawer 27 of the receiving box 28 is frequently exchanged to dispose remaining food, dung and the like, thereby making the inside of the net cage clean. But not only is the sheet apt to be hung over the gateway of the drawer 27 when the drawer 27 is drawn out, and it is difficult to dispose of the remaining food and the like spilled in the receiving box 28, but time is also taken for closing a gateway so that the small animals cannot escape.